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He and partner Steve Sabados are icing cupcakes at Sweet Bliss Baking Company at 1304 Queen St. E. in Leslieville – a favourite haunt, and a chance to give their decorating skills an unusual workout.

Good thing the bakery is only open Thursday through Sunday, otherwise we'd all be blimpos. Not only are the cupcakes amazing, Sweet Bliss also has great homemade granola and lemon bars.

The former original Designer Guys, Design Rivals and So Chic co-stars have a new gig: their own chat show Steven & Chris, weekdays at 2 p.m. on CBC.

Hyndman is the kibitzer and talker; Sabados is the straight man, as it were.

Hyndman is fresh from a workout. He is in the process of shedding 20 pounds publicly on the show under the aegis of a personal trainer.

Apparently, he has the fitness level of a 63-year-old. He is only 42.

"I put a shirt on and all the buttons start popping," he says. "I'm getting all these emails saying, `You inspire me.' It's the power of television. My trainer is this cute little pixie thing who turns into a bitch. She's a drill sergeant mixed in with Barbie doll."

Hyndman has gained an inch and a half on his chest and arms and lost two inches off his waist and it's only been two weeks.

"It's the first time I'll be slim in 20 years," he says. "It's cutting into my social life and drinking time."

Sabados is a one-man decorating machine. Sprinkles here, swirls there – it looks like a little girl's Easter tea party.

They were approached by CBC to do a daytime talk show and it seems like a good fit: Hyndman is good for talk; Sabados for show.

"They asked us what are our hobbies, what are our passions," Hyndman says. "I love fashion and makeup."

"I love cooking and I love projects," Sabados says.

"And I love relationships and gossip," Hyndman adds.

Speaking of which: They outed themselves as a couple only in 2007 after being disingenuous about their relationship. They've been together as a couple 20 years come July.

On the show, they welcome write-in questions, such as how long pant legs should be with specific heel heights and pant widths.

"We get mostly decor questions because of our history," Sabados admits. "But we talk lifestyle, not decorating, and we like to have celeb content."

Celeb guests include Sofia Milos of CSI Miami and The Border. Also, Kathleen Turner will be tub-thumping her tell-all tome, Send Yourself Roses.

Though they stress it's not a mean, gossipy show, they will go for deep dish from Turner. "She's almost like a drag queen," Hyndman says. "She's tough; she is a broad, not sweet and cuddly."

One "Consumer Confessions" segment included shoe addiction: How one woman spent her mortgage payment on shoes.

"We've all done it," Hyndman emphasizes. "She's sitting on a sofa in her own place not on the street with bags of Manolos.

What are their addictions?

"Shoes, 100 per cent," confesses Hyndman, who guesstimates he has 60 pairs. "Fragrance is my obsession," Sabados says. "I like Vetiver from Holts but I rotate the scents in summer and winter."

"He carries Prada cologne in his bag," says Hyndman. "He's like an old lady.

Sabados say his Number 1 obsession is wristwatches "but I can't afford them."

Says Hyndman: "We sound pretentious but I do have cheap things, too."

Having a talk show was always on Hyndman's bucket list. He says he always wanted to be the next Rosie or Ellen. Sabados loves the fact that, on the show, he's not "just moving a sofa or adjusting a drape. I wanted to learn how to cook pad thai. We are focusing on the same dream – this show is our goal together."

Meanwhile, they still have their S&C Collection of home furnishings, accessories and area rugs available in 300 stores across Canada, and a bed-and-bath line exclusive to Home Outfitters.

They are also in the process of launching a kitchen line featuring such goodies as tablecloths, linen tea towels, potholders and Lucite napkin rings.

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